He found that a 4-week diet greatly relieved stress.
Scientists from Cork College University in Ireland found that a 4-week diet relieves stress to a great extent.
Studies conducted in recent years have shown that there is a relationship between diet and psychological states caused by stress. John Cryan, director of the University’s Center for Innovation and Research, conveyed the results of the new research on the subject in his article in The Conversation.
“Our recent study shows that consuming more fermented foods and fiber daily in just 4 weeks has a significant impact on lowering stress levels,” wrote Cryan.
The conversion of food components into other products by microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria is called fermentation. Among the most well-known fermented foods are kefir and pickles.
Fibrous foods include breads made from whole grain flour, vegetables such as broccoli, corn, cauliflower, carrots, fruits such as apples and bananas, and legumes such as peas, chickpeas and dried beans.
What’s in the 4-week diet?
Forty-five people aged 18 to 59 participated in the study. These people were fed relatively low-fiber foods in their normal lives.
Participants were divided into two groups and two different diet lists were created for their implementation during the 4-week period.
The first group was given a list of random foods, usually healthy foods, while the second group was fed “psychobiotic” foods thought to improve mental health.
This group consumed 6-8 servings of high-fiber fruits and vegetables per day, as well as 5-8 servings of grains per day. Among the daily foods were 2-3 servings of fermented food. Attention was also paid to the group’s consumption of 3-4 servings of pulses per week.
Stress levels dropped
Those who followed the psychobiotic diet reported feeling less stressed compared to others. It was seen that the more the participants adhered to the recommended diet, the more they were relieved of stress.
Interestingly, sleep quality was improved in both groups. However, those who followed the psychobiotic diet had even better sleep.
Cryan explained the findings they obtained as a result of the 4-week research as follows:
We observed significant changes in the level of certain chemicals produced by gut microbes in these individuals. Some of these chemicals are linked to mental health.
On the other hand, Cryan emphasized that relatively few people participated in the study and that 4 weeks is actually a short period of time.
The scientist stated that this study should be repeated on a larger audience, over a longer period of time.